


Friction

by Destux



Series: Smile at Hope in the Name of Hope [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cliche, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Heavy Angst, Kamunami Week, Kamunami Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 20:46:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17967767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destux/pseuds/Destux
Summary: Prompt 4: Transformation/Resolve/CourageDespair does not truly settle in until you figure out that there’s no hope in the road ahead.An unfortunate occurrence befalls the two star-crossed lovers and their love is put through the ultimate test.





	Friction

**Author's Note:**

> T/W: Very graphic depiction of scenes and crude language ahead. Please proceed with caution.

There they were. The two people destined to face each other. The one holding a foil clad in her slightly torn white silky dress and donning a headpiece that looked like the top of a white queen chess piece was trying her best to put up a “brave” face; while the one who was holding a bloodstained saber clad with a dark robe and wearing a crown that resembled the top of the black king chess piece with its rim outlined by lines of red that mirrored the crimson eyes glared at the other with cold harsh murderous intent. It was almost as if that cross on the crown was stabbed into his own head, hence the lines of red from that seemed to flow from his illusory wound.

The ugly scene of the carpeted and checkered throne room floor decorated with the bodies of the former’s dead friends was created by the latter. The pungent stench of their rotting charred carcasses was enough to sicken Chiaki to the stomach. She couldn’t look away from the man she was facing either, lest she had to see their pained and anguished faces for the nth time.

It was too cruel - too horrible to make her remember her dear friends who tried to protect her with this mangled deformation forever etched into their faces.

Everywhere she looked was just a painful reminder for how she failed the person she held close to her heart.

Peko, Nekomaru, Gundham…

…Izuru…

_…Why...?_

_Why...did this have to happen?_

She searched the dark recesses of her mind to find something, _anything_ that is a happy memory for her. Slowly, those memories deteriorated into soot the moment she reached out her hand to grasp her only means of solace.

All she could remember was that mistake they all made for being too complacent…

* * *

_Hidden Route Discovered!_

She imagined that tune pinging her as she and her companion, Izuru, escaped into this decrepit dungeon that was filled with vines and other signs of overgrowth. 

It all started with an ambush from that nefarious sorceress. Makoto, Kyoko, Mukuro, Gundham, Peko and Nekomaru all told her and Izuru to find another way towards their target while they stayed to distract the horde of Monokumas. There were some Monokumas that slipped past and tried to pursue the two, but it was nothing both Izuru and Chiaki can't handle. Their versatility and expertise with might and magic destroyed their pursuers and left behind a trail of whatever remained from those unfortunate beasts.

Obviously, that meant that not a single trace was left to identify them.

They continued to wander around the underground dungeon with a torch in hand. She trusted her companion to lead them towards their enemy. A major plus for taking this route was that it was quiet and there were no signs of ambushing forces. The huge downside to this was its creepiness factor that constantly whispered to her, _”This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea.”_

She shrugged those thoughts off. How could she not trust Izuru after all the trials and hardships they faced together? Time and time again their ideals and friendship were tested by that despair maniac and they persevered. They were there for each other in their times of need, like brother and sister; though in this case, it’s more like a father-daughter relationship. Despite his overprotectiveness, she understood why he was like that and tried her best to adjust to her aloof partner. She actually loved him better like that. That made him more reliable and less likely to betray her.

Her daydreaming thoughts were immediately diverted to the current situation after Izuru blocked her path with his arm. “Wait. Someone is approaching.”

“Upupupu… Looks like Kamukura-senpai finally noticed me!”

Predicting where she would appear, Izuru instantly unleashed a wave of pure energy behind them. A figure was hit and a cloud of smoke filled the halls of the dungeon from its halved body, encircling them in a thick haze. 

She saw his eyes widen in surprise while she was still in a dazed state from how quickly the eerie silence turned into a surprise boss battle. Amidst the confusion, an echoing witch’s laugh exploded towards their ears. 

“Forgive me, Chiaki.”

“Izu-“

The roar of countless Monokumas were heard before she saw an intense light emanated from Izuru’s body and lost consciousness.

It was only now she realized that it might have been probably too late to save him from Junko’s clutches.

* * *

“…Nanami-san!”

“W-Wake up, Nanami-san!”

Chiaki felt her body shake and was instantly awakened. As she regained her bearings, she saw all six of her friends surrounding her with very concerned faces.

“Thank the Gods you are safe!” bellowed Gundham.

“Yeah! You almost made me lose my shit here and there!” Nekomaru added.

She drowned out all their voices and focused on something that was missing from them. Her included, there should be eight of them that were sent to raid this castle and eliminate Junko, or at least capture her as requested by the two Byakuyas who were their generals responsible for their plan of attack. The others were busy defending their land from the nigh infinite number of Monokumas that invaded them. Someone had to strip Junko of her power to put an end to the endless horde that zeroed in on their land. 

Even so, she felt like she was forgetting someone. Someone important…

_”Forgive me, Chiaki.”_

…Then it all clicked.

“Izuru!” she shouted. “Where’s Izuru?!”

Makoto crouched near her and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying his best to placate her. “Ikusaba-san…” he swallowed his spit in hesitation. “…Couldn’t find him. She went down there to check. We even asked her to double check but…”

“We have to assume the worst, Nanami-san.” Mukuro interrupted him “I couldn’t find his corpse anywhere.”

“C-Corpse?!” she flinched from the implications of that word. “H-He’s not dead! He can’t be dead! Izuru, _**DEAD**_?!”

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility, knowing how cunning Enoshima is.” Kyoko replied. “Either he’s dead or worst case scena-“

“Stop! I don’t wanna hear any more…” Chiaki covered her ears and tried to remove the image of Izuru’s body being mangled into a bloody mess by countless Monokumas from her mind. It’s wrong. It’s all wrong. She knows he’s still alive and yet Mukuro herself couldn’t locate him in that dungeon. Well, someone who’s MIA is different than dead, right? So that means, there’s still the hope that he managed to escape the dungeon!

The shaking girl finally calmed down and stood up from the pillar she was leaning on. She turned to her friends and looked at them with a grave expression. “We have to find Izuru. We only know that he wasn’t found by Ikusaba-san, right?”

“But what if he’s dead, Nanami?” Peko replied with a question of her own.

“Still…” the fact still bounced around her head despite her attempts to deny it fervently. “…He could be alive… I think…”

“Then let’s find out.” Makoto joined Chiaki’s side. “We need to believe in hope, everyone!”

Kyoko sighed but joined them as well. “…I still think that that’s a naïve conclusion, Naegi-kun, Nanami-san. But yes, I won’t deny that the possibility of him being alive is plausible, though it is imperative that we make haste in finding him.”

The others were soon rallied by Chiaki and Makoto in finding the truth about Izuru’s whereabouts. It didn’t need to be said that when everyone was united under a common goal, nothing could stop them.

…On second thought, maybe it was better if Izuru was dead.

Because the next thing they saw after opening the doors towards the throne room was Junko, seating on her throne like an undignified evil empress, with the man they were searching for standing by her, eyes glowing with an even brighter and more intense red than she remembered.

“Izuru…?” Chiaki couldn’t hide the excitement and joy from her voice upon seeing him. “You’re alive! I knew you were-“

Gundham, Nekomaru and Peko all looked at him with animosity and blocked her from rejoining her estranged friend. They withdrew their weapons and prepared for an offensive from the sorceress.

“Hoho! We are pleased to make your acquaintance!” exclaimed Junko, standing up from her throne and looking down on them like they were mere peasants before her. “Do you lowly worms wish to join us in our crusade for despair?”

"Think again, empress of Despair!" bellowed Gundham, igniting both his hands with a dark fire to threaten the two. "If you assume that we would submit to your fallacious ideology, then I shall brand you with the fires from the seventh circle of the Inferno!" 

"You think I give a flying fuck about what you say?!" Junko yelled out while changing her expression. "I’m Junko fucking Enoshima! Try me, bitch-lover!"

Izuru then stepped in between the sorceress and the seven people as the ambient animosity in the room increased tenfold. The man in the middle furrowed his eyebrows deeper while Chiaki saw the familiar fire burning his irises away into a black outline. 

He was going to attack her friends.

He was going to attack her.

Suddenly, she froze on the spot, unable to warn her allies of the blaze he would unleash on all of them if they didn’t get out now. However, it wasn’t by her own will that she refused to speak. Junko silenced and paralyzed her with a zap. She struggled as she was forced to sit by the sidelines and watch as Izuru silently prepared his attack. 

Junko’s control over Chiaki was immediately broken as Mukuro somehow teleported behind the sorceress like a ninja and sealed her power by touching the back of her neck. The former tensed up in surprise and screeched in terror. Immediately after, Chiaki shouted and attempted to cast her shield upon her friends.

She was a second too late, for Izuru expected this unexpected turn of events and incinerated the throne room with a breath that matched a dragon’s. Chiaki managed to protect Makoto and Kyoko who were behind her as she stood her ground against his incredibly intense attack. 

“Do It now, Naegi-kun! While he’s distracted!”

“Got it, Kirigiri-san!”

The blazing eventually ceased. With some tired breaths, Chiaki released her shield and noticed that there were only five of them in the throne room now. Whatever Makoto and Kyoko planned might have something to do with that, she thinks.

But that’s besides the point; three of her friends were treacherously balancing themselves on the fine line that divides life and death. 

One by one, they were executed by Izuru by impaling their gut with his saber. They were too injured to retaliate against him and the moment they did, well…

She couldn’t move. Not because of some paralysis spell or anything of the sort, but because she was literally too scared to move a muscle. She knew that Izuru wouldn’t do this to her friends. Of course he wouldn’t. 

Which made it all the more shocking to witness him do such a heartless act…of unnecessary bloodshed and unjustified murder. This wasn’t the Izuru she knew. He wouldn’t stab them and watch as their blood spill out everywhere from the wound before being thrown to the sides like a toy that has lived its use.

“Izuru…” was all she managed to choke out while trying to avoid the horrid sights on her sides. “…Is this…really…you?”

“…” He faced her with a blank expression on his face before rushing towards her and unleashing a flurry of thrusts from his sword towards her. On instinct, she withdrew her foil and tried to deflect his many attacks, but his sword made some tears and rips on her skirt and left behind several cuts on her arms and managed to graze her left cheek with a cut that stretched as far as her cheekbone went. She had to cast a force spell to gain some distance from Izuru and to calm her racing heart.

He was too far gone already. Never has he tried to hit her with such relentless malicious intentions. It was almost as if he was trying to kill her- no, maybe that’s what he was trying to do all along. 

Was there no hope for him left? Was there no way to save him?

Does one of them really need to die in order to leave this room?

There has to be another way. She had to believe that he was still in there…somewhere, just waiting for her. She couldn’t let things end this way. She’d rather die first than to kill him. That would mean that she gave up on trying to save Izuru from whatever was making him do these terrible things. 

With a deep breath, she infused her newfound courage with her foil and looked at him straight in the eyes despite the tears from the painful sensation of her wounds being opened further every time she stressed her muscles to move.

* * *

_Izuru… please come back._

She matched his strikes hit for hit. Neither gave the other time to use a magical spell unless they risked suffering a wound that would decide this battle. As they danced around the room, a couple of explosions were heard from outside the throne room. The ground shook with such intensity every time it did, making Chiaki lose her footing before parrying Izuru’s downward slashes. She was running out of time and she knew it. Eventually, her body would give up and he…

…No, she’ll worry about that when they get there. She has to think of a way turn this battle towards her favor quickly.

The ground shook again after a couple of fireballs hit the walls of the room. She lost her footing once more and Izuru lunged in for the killing blow. She dropped her sword and pulled Izuru towards her, not looking down at the gristly wound at her abdomen and trying not to scream from the burst of pain that seared through her body. Because of this, he kept the grip on his saber tight and plugged in her body. Her legs gave out and used all of her upper body strength to pull the other down and listen to her final words.

“Izuru…” she said, shakily with some labored breaths following each syllable. “…If…you’re still…in there, please…come…back.”

His mouth didn’t move but she could feel the blade move around from inside her after she said that.

There was another round of explosions from outside. This time, it was more violent than the previous ones and the ceiling threatened to collapse on top of them. However, neither person cared about what was going to happen to them.

“I know…you’re probably mad at…” she coughed up blood, her internal hemorrhaging finally activating. “…me…for not…helping you…back then. I’m sorry…Izuru.”

More blood came out of her mouth the more she tried to maintain her grasp on the boy's shoulders. She could feel the life fade out of her body. It was tempting to succumb to her wounds and just sleep for all eternity, just like she always wanted, but she can't give up just yet. Not while Izuru still needs her to be back to normal again. Her time was ticking down. 

_I don't wanna die..._ she repeated to herself as she pulled him closer to her cooling body, making him plunge the sword even further into her abdomen until the guard was pushing against her stomach. She felt every inch of the cold steel of the blade touch her insides. _I-I don't wanna die...!_

She cried into his shoulder and stained his robe with her tears, thinking that this senseless act can save them both.

**No forgiveness for this endless love.**

She poured the last of her tears and strength into him in hopes of bringing the Izuru she loved back.

**My goddess never looked at me.**

Her world was starting to lose its light and all she can see is his blank face being marred by the moisture in her eyes. She forced one last smile and muttered to him, so that he and only he can hear alone, “…I…love…you…” 

“…Izuru…”

The last things she sensed as she fell into a deep slumber were one last explosion, the sight of the sky falling down on her, a warmth enveloping her cold body, and the taste of blood on her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, after listening to “Ga1ahad and Scientific Witchery” and “Friction”, both of which are by Mili, I had this idea in my head once I took a look at the prompts for Day 4.
> 
> So, I took the definition of the word Transformation and twisted its definition around! 
> 
> As you can tell, this is incredibly rushed as I set a deadline for this series to Tuesday to see how much I can pump out for a week or two. My goal is to have at least 7 entries for Kamunami Week and seeing as I have around 4 days left to make 3 fics, I’ll have to make some changes to my original plan hehe.


End file.
